We are committed to making our trains and stations as accessible as possible to give customers the confidence in travelling and greater freedom to experience everything the North and Scotland have to offer. TPE’s dedicated accessibility team works to ensure services, stations, and digital content are inclusive and accessible to all.
TPE continues to offer assistance to customers on their journey through Passenger Assist. Between October 2023- April 2024, TPE arranged 11,595 passenger assists, with 7,597 of these being booked and 3,998 being unbooked. Overall our annual total for the number of assists between April 2023-April 2024 was 22,101, an increase of 5,891 from the previous year (36%).
In April TPE launched ‘Social Stories’ which is aimed at enhancing the travel experience for autism, learning disabilities, and social anxieties.
Social Stories are narrative descriptions and graphics of everyday situations, designed to help individuals understand social cues, anticipate events, and navigate unfamiliar scenarios with confidence.
The Social Stories are developed using training delivered by the North West Autism & SEND Consultancy and are tailored to the unique needs of neurodiverse individuals and those with social anxieties.
Amy French, Accessibility Co-Ordinator at TransPennine Express, said: “We’re really pleased to be one of the first train operators to introduce Social Stories as a part of our ongoing commitment to making rail travel more inclusive.
“We recognise that travelling by train can be overwhelming for many people, and we want all of our customers to feel confident and safe when travelling with us.
“That’s why we’ve launched our Social Stories, which help take away as many surprises when travelling as possible and allow customers to have an idea of what to expect from the comfort of their own homes.”
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